Relay-bound.



w; K. HOWE. RELAY BOND.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 8, 1911.

1,093,780. Patented Apr. 21, 1911 3 BEETS-SHEET 1.

. WITNESS'ES: INVENTOR /Mmw 4246M QrhlMfi M {WA- A TTORNEY COLUMBIAPLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D c.

W. K. HOWE.

RELAY BOND. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1911.

' Patented Apr. 21, 191

3 SHELBTS-SHEET 2.

l/VI/ENTOI? W/TNESSES:

a. ATTORNEY MBIA PLANOGRAPH co W. K. HOWE.

RELAY BOND.

APPLIQATION FILED AUG. 8. 1911.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' INVENTOR WI TNESSES:

A TTOR/VEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WINTHROP K. HOWE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL RAILWAYSIGNAL COMPANY, OF GATES, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RELAY-BOND.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August-8, 1911.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914. Serial No. 643,041.

To all 112710171 it may concern Be it known that I, VVINTi-IROP K. Hown,a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Rochester,in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new anduseful Relay-Bond, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric railway signaling, and particularlyto a means for rendering the rails of the track electrically continuousfor the propulsion current, by the use of the well known track relay andtrack transformer.

The object of the invention is to render the rails of an electricallypropelled road electrically continuous at a greatly decreased cost overall known constructions.

A further object of the invention is to se cure increased economy insignaling current consumption, and more reliable operation of signals.

The drawings accompanying this specification illustrate a physicalembodiment of my invention, and in describing the same, reference willbe had to the characters of reference thereon, like charactersindicating like parts and in which:

Figure 1, is a diagrammatic illustration showing the circuits andarrangements of one physical embodiment selected to illustrate theinvention. Fig. 2, is a diagraminatic representation of a modified formof the invention. Fig. 3, is a diagrammatic representation of theinvention as applied to a signaling system in which all energy for theoperation of the signal relay is taken from the track rails.

1, designates a direct current generator, one terminal of which isconnected to the trolley or similar conducting member 2; 3, designates acar having a trolley pole or collecting shoe 41, adapted to contact withconductor 2 at all times and which serves as a means for conductingpropulsion current from the conductor 2 to one terminal of the motor 5,the other terminal being connected to the axle of the car 6, which hasfastened to either end the usual wheels '1', which are intended totravel upon the rails S and 9; the other terminal of the direct currentgenerator is connected to the central. point of a balanced iron corereactance bond 10, or may be connected to the central point of a doublerelay winding as more fully explained hereinafter.

A, B and C denote track circuit sections into which the rails 8 and 9are divided by means of the well known insulating joints at the points40 thus rendering the blocks A, B and C, electrically discontinuous forall current, so that a means must be provided for bridging the saidjoints so that the propulsion current may freely pass said joints butthe signaling current is prevented from passing the said joints.

11, designates an alternating current generator for supplying signalingcurrent, the two terminals being connected to the two line wires 12 and13 extending the length of the track-way and having at each signallocation or at any other desired point the primary windings 1a. oftransformers connected thereto; 15, designates coils wound in inductiverelation to coils 14 thus constituting the secondary of a transformer,and having their two ends connected to the track rails 8 and 9 thusfurnishing signaling current to the sections A, B and C. At the otherend of each section are connected wires to the two track rails whichconvey the signaling current to a relay device. The relay device is madein the form of a poly phase motor having 8 fixed poles 16 constituting astator, four of which poles have coils thereon connected to a winding 17in inductive relation with the coil 14L- thus constituting the secondaryof a transformer which supplies current to the coils upon the alternatepoles. It will be seen by refer ence to the figures that the directionof the turns about one pole is opposite to the direction of the turnsabout the next succeeding alternate pole, so that the magnetic polarityof said poles is opposite. The four poles to which the current is fedfrom the transformer secondary l7 constitute a means by which thegreater amount of energy needed to cause the relay device to act, issupplied, and to those skilled in the art, is easily recognized asconstituting what is ordinarily known as the local phase of the relay.The wire 18 from rail 9 is connected with a coil wound upon eachalternate pole of the relay device, the turns upon each pole being madein a direction opposite to those on the preceding pole; the wire 19 fromtrack rail 8 likewise passes about each alternate pole of the relaydevice and in the same .way the turns upon each pole areopposite indirection to the turns upon the preceding pole and the turns upon anyone pole connected to wire 19 are opposite in direction to the turnsupon the same pole connected to wire 18. The wires 18 and 19 afterpassing about the poles are joined together at the point 20 and a wire21 leads from the connection 20 to the central point of the windingsconstituting the secondary 15 of the transformer. The alternatingsignaling current generated in secondary 15 connected to the two railsof track section B may be assumed to flow in the direction of'th'e arrow(4 shown just above the transformer winding and to pass by the wire 22to rail 9 along rail 9 to wire 18, about the first pole on which it iswound in a clockwise direction, about the second pole in acounterloclnvise direction, upon the third pole in a clockwise directionand upon the fourth pole in a counterclockwise direction then passing bymeans of the connection 20 about the last mentioned pole in acounterclockwise direction, then passing to the third mentioned pole andpassing about it in a clockwise direction, then passing around thesecond mentioned pole. in a counterclockwise direction and then aboutthe first mentioned pole ina clockwise direction and thence by wire 19to the other rail 8, along the rail 8 to the wire 23 and to the otherside of the transformer secondary 15, thus making a complete circuit. Itwill be noticed that the current passes around each alternate pole andthen in returning passes around the same alternate poles, and it shouldbe noted furthermore that the magnetic flux generated by the current thefirst time it passes about the alternate poles is in the same directionas the magnetic flux generated by the current when it again passes aboutthe alter nate poles, for, although the coils through which it passesthe first time are wound reversely to the coils through which it passesthe second time, nevertheless, as the direction of current is reversedthe magnetic fiux generated is in the same direction. If a car weretraveling upon section C as shown, the propulsion current would flowfrom the direct current generator 1 by means of con ductor 2, trolley4:, motor 5, axle 6 and wheels 7 to each track rail 8 and 9 and alongeach track rail to the wires 18 and 19 flowing in the same direction asshown by the arrows Z) in each wire and would flow through the coilswound about the alternate poles to the junction point 20 where thecurrent flowing in both wires 18 and 19 would unite and flow by wire 21to the central point of transformer secondary 15, again dividing andflowing by both halves of the secondary windings to wires 22 and 23 andthus to the rails 8 and 9 and along rails 8 and 9 to wires 18 and 19 insection B through the relay device as in section C to the central pointof the transformer in section A and by the two wires 22 and 23 to thetwo rails S and 9 of section A along the rails S and 9 to the reactancebond 10 and by the wire 25 to the other terminal of the direct currentgenerator thus making a complete circuit.

It is to be noticed, that although the propulsion current flowed throughthe coils wound upon the poles of the relay device, no effectivemagnetic energization of said poles was effected, because the current inwire 18 was in the same direction as the current in wire 19 and wire 18being connected to a coil on a pole which is wound reversely to thecoil, to which wire 19 is connected on the same pole, neutralization orequalization of the magnetic effect caused by the two coils is effectedand the same phenomenon occurs at each pole, therefore, there is non'iagnetic saturation of the stator of the polyphasc motor.

It is to be observed that the arrangement illustrated and adopted ismuch more elli- -ient than the ordinary and well known form of T orbalanced bond construction, for in the arrangement shown, theenergization ol the relay device from the current furnished to the trackcircuit does not depend upon a drop of potential through a T or balancedbond, but the whole current from the source, which in this case is thetransformer secondary 15, flows twice about each alternate pole of therelay device, so that a great economy in signaling current is effectedor, with the same consumption of signaling current the sections may bemade longer. As four of the poles of the motor are constantly energizedfrom the source of signaling current and as the other four poles wouldbe energized if no connection were present between rails 8 and 9, aturning torque would. under such conditions, be imparted to rotor 36 inthe direction of the arrow (7, thus causing the arm 27 to bridge thewires 28 and 29 thus completing a circuit through the signal 30 and thetransformer secondary 31, so that the signal would thereby be moved tothe clear position. If a train came upon one of the sections A, B or C,the signaling current would be shunted from the relay, thcrc fore, thetrack phase of the relay would be de'e'nergized, consequently, thearmature 20 would move by gravity to its lower position. thus destroyingthe bridge across wires 28 and 29 and so interrupt the circuit fromtransformer secondary 31. to the signal and consequently allow thesignal. to go to danger by the withdrawal of the energizing current.

In Fig. 2, the continuity of the rails for propulsion current iseffected between sections A and B by employing the well known balancedbond 10 in section B, the ends of which are connected to the two rails Sand 9 of the section B and the central point of which is connected tothe central point of the transformer secondary 15 used for supplyingsignaling current to the section A; the relay device in section B, inthis case, consisting of the ordinary and well known polyphase motorrelay the armature of which is designated by 26, the locally fed phasebeing designated by 32 and the track fed phase by 33. A path fromsection C to section B for the propulsion current is effected by placingthe well known reactance bond 10 in section B, connecting in the wellknown manner, the central point of the reactance bond 10 by the wire 21to the junction point 20 of the relay windings in section C. Fig. 2 ismerely designed to show that applicants invention may be embodied in aform which does not realize to the full, all of the advantages flowingfrom it.

In Fig. 3, applicants invention is shown in connection with a polyphaserelay which derives all of its energy from connection to the trackrails. In this figure the source of propulsion current 34 is shown as analternating current generator. Signaling current from the generator 11through the pri mary winding 14 of the transformer is induced insecondary winding 15 which is connected to the two track rails 8 and 9the current being considered to flow in the direction of the arrow at inthe secondary of the transformer, and to flow through the wire 22 torail 9, along rail 9 to wire thence around fou' alternate poles of therelay device to the unction point 20 then back again around the samefour alternate poles to the wire 36, which connects with rail 8 and thenalong rail 8 to wire 23 and thus to the other side of the secondary 15.The current in the above traced path energizes one winding of the relay.The other phase of the relay is derived through the following circuitstarting from wire 35; wire 37, ohmic resistance g, wire 38, through thecoils upon four alternate poles of the relay device, wire 39, ohmicresistance f, and wire 36 to rail 8. On account of the ohmic resistancesg and f, the proper phase displacement in the two windings in the relaydevice is effected and consequently rotor 26 holds the bridge 27 incontact with wires 28 and 29. The object of the connections and devicesconsisting of reactances cl and e and olnnic resistances f and g is toprotect the relay from the effects of alternating propulcn currentflowing therethrough. If either of t e rails 8 or 9 should break and acar propelled by current from the alternating generator 34 weretraveling on the rails, the other side of the break from where the relayis connected, there would be a difference of potential between the tworails at the relay which would cause alternating propulsion current atthe usual frequency, towit: 2.5 cycles to flow through wires 35 and 36which, it the relay were connected as in ordinary practice, with nothingbut the ordinary phase splitting device between the two phases of therelay, would be liable to cause a dangerous operation of the relay, thatis, the 25 cycle propulsion current might cause the relay to close. Byusing the combination 7(' of reactances and resistances as shown, and byproperly proportioning the same and taking advantage of the fact that areactance has very much less reactive effect upon a 25 cycle currentthan it does upon a 60 cycle 7K current, the relay may be made immune todeleterious eifects caused by the flow of propulsion currenttherethrough. The operation and effect of the phase changing devicecomposed of the resistances f and g and d and e, is fully shown,described and claimed in the application of James Burke, Serial No.635,885, filed June 28th, 1911. Just as in the embodiments shown by Fig.1, the junction 20 may be connected by means of the wire 21, to thecenter point of the windings of transformer secondary 15, thus forming aconnection for the propulsion current from one section to the next.

Having explained the principle of my invention and illustrated anddescribed one physical embodiment thereof, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a signaling system for electric rail- 5 ways, a source ofpropulsion current, a trackway composed of two lines of rails, insulating means interposed in each line of rails at approximately oppositepoints at intervals forming sections, a relay having a field winding,the two ends of the winding being connected to the two rails at one endof a section, means to energize the relay, means connecting the middlepoint of the winding to the two rails at the end of the next sectionadjacent the relay, said means afl'ording a path for propulsion current,and a signal device controlled by the relay.

2. In a signaling system for electric railways: a source of propulsioncurrent; a t-rackway composed of two lines of rails; insulating meansinterposed in each line of rails at approximately opposite points atintervals forming sections; a relay having a field piece of magneticmaterial; a plurality of coils wound thereon, said coils being disposedin pairs, and the co "responding coils of the several pairs being joinedin a series;

a conductor connecting the end coil of one series with one track railand a conductor 12o connecting the end coil of the other series to theother track rail, that pair of coils which form the other end coils ofthe two sections being joined together forming a junction; a conductorconnecting the junction to the two rails of an adjacent section, saidconductor affording a path for propulsion current; means to energize therelay; and a signal device controlled by the relay.

3. In a signaling system for electric railways: a source of propulsioncurrent having tWo terminals; a feeder extending from one terminal ofthe source; a trackway composed of two lines of rails; insulating meansinterposed in each line of rails at approximately opposite points atintervals forming secti'ons; a relay having a field piece of magneticmaterial; a plurality of coils wound thereon, said coils being disposedin pairs, and the corresponding coils of the several pairs being joinedin a series; a conductor connecting the end coil of one series With onetrack rail and a conductor connecting the end coil of the other seriesto the other track rail, that pair of coils which form the other endcoils of the two sections being joined together forming a junction;means connecting said junction with the said other terminal of thesource of current; means to ener gize the relay; a signal devicecontrolled by the relay; and a car having an electrical propelled meanshaving two terminals, one oi the terminals in contact with the feeder,the other in contact with the trackway.

\VINTHROP K. HOWE. lVitnesses LILLTAX L. Pnnmrrs, MINmE A. Lorna.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

